The Nigerian Communications Commission on Tuesday announced a
number sanctions to some operators in the telecommunications
industry for their involvement in masking of international
calls.
Masking involves concealing international calls coming into a
country and presenting them as local in order to make profits from
the difference in prices between local and international calls.
The sanctions announced by the NCC ranged from suspension of
licences to issuance of warning letters.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Director of
Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, the telecommunications
regulatory agency also announced that it had begun the second phase
of investigation on the involvement of digital mobile operators in
masking activities.
Ojobo said, “The NCC has recently been inundated with complaints
from service providers and consumers regarding the high incidence
of call masking, call refiling and SIM boxing. Generally, the
practice complained of involves disguising international calls as
local calls in order to profit from price differentials between
international and local calls.
“Apart from the resultant loss of revenue by service providers,
the practice also has some negative security implications.
Following a painstaking investigation process, which included
collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and
the Department of State Services, the commission has imposed a
range of sanctions on licensees involved in the fraudulent
practice.”
The sanctions include suspension of the interconnect clearing
house licence issued to Medallion Communications Limited for a
period of 90 days, in the first instance, and issuance of a strong
warning to Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited.
Others are disconnection of Information Connectivity Solutions
Limited and Solid Interconnectivity Services Limited from all
networks until they regularise their operations, and issuance of
letters to Exchange Telecoms Limited, NiconnX Limited and Breeze
Micro Limited, cautioning them against engaging in the fraudulent
practice.
The commission also barred over 750,000 numbers assigned to
several Private Network Links and Local Exchange Operator
licensees. The number ranges were found to have been utilised for
the masking activity.
Ojobo said the sanctioned entities were found to be directly and
indirectly complicit in several infractions, including covertly
allowing organisations with expired licences to transit calls and
failure to undertake due diligence on parties seeking to
interconnect.
Other infractions include deliberately turning a blind eye to
masking infractions by interconnect partners and using a licence
issued to other organisation to bring in and terminate
international calls, which were masked as local calls to other
operators.
Regarding the barring of numbers, Ojobo said over 750,000
individual numbers across the nation, made up of about 31 number
ranges had been barred.
The licensees whose numbers were barred are Vezeti
Communications Services Limited, Voix Networks Limited, Mobitel
Limited, Peace Global Satellite Communications Limited, ABG
Communications Limited and Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria)
Limited.
Others are Swift Telephone Networks Limited, QVODA Telecoms
Limited, Wireless Telecoms Limited and Emcatel Networks
Limited.
The commission found that some of these firms were terminating
millions of minutes, whereas they only had very few active
customers, Ojobo added.
The NCC spokesperson stated, “The commission is pleased to note
that the incidence of call masking has significantly reduced since
it commenced a multi-faceted approach to address the menace.
“The commission hereby informs all stakeholders that the actions
so far taken are just the first stage of the exercise. The second
stage, which has now commenced, will focus on the Mobile Network
Operators and other persons involved in SIM boxing.
“The aim of the commission is to completely stamp out the
fraudulent practice in the overall interest of all Nigerians.
Accordingly, every service provider that has been sanctioned still
has an opportunity to correct the identified anomalies and satisfy
the commission that it should be allowed to continue to operate in
Nigeria.”
He added that the NCC reserved the right to revoke the licences
of such service providers where they failed to take the necessary
corrective measures.
The Nigerian Communications Commission on Tuesday announced a
number sanctions to some operators in the telecommunications
industry for their involvement in masking of international
calls.
Masking involves concealing international calls coming into a
country and presenting them as local in order to make profits from
the difference in prices between local and international calls.
The sanctions announced by the NCC ranged from suspension of
licences to issuance of warning letters.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Director of
Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, the telecommunications
regulatory agency also announced that it had begun the second phase
of investigation on the involvement of digital mobile operators in
masking activities.
Ojobo said, “The NCC has recently been inundated with complaints
from service providers and consumers regarding the high incidence
of call masking, call refiling and SIM boxing. Generally, the
practice complained of involves disguising international calls as
local calls in order to profit from price differentials between
international and local calls.
“Apart from the resultant loss of revenue by service providers,
the practice also has some negative security implications.
Following a painstaking investigation process, which included
collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and
the Department of State Services, the commission has imposed a
range of sanctions on licensees involved in the fraudulent
practice.”
The sanctions include suspension of the interconnect clearing
house licence issued to Medallion Communications Limited for a
period of 90 days, in the first instance, and issuance of a strong
warning to Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited.
Others are disconnection of Information Connectivity Solutions
Limited and Solid Interconnectivity Services Limited from all
networks until they regularise their operations, and issuance of
letters to Exchange Telecoms Limited, NiconnX Limited and Breeze
Micro Limited, cautioning them against engaging in the fraudulent
practice.
The commission also barred over 750,000 numbers assigned to
several Private Network Links and Local Exchange Operator
licensees. The number ranges were found to have been utilised for
the masking activity.
Ojobo said the sanctioned entities were found to be directly and
indirectly complicit in several infractions, including covertly
allowing organisations with expired licences to transit calls and
failure to undertake due diligence on parties seeking to
interconnect.
Other infractions include deliberately turning a blind eye to
masking infractions by interconnect partners and using a licence
issued to other organisation to bring in and terminate
international calls, which were masked as local calls to other
operators.
Regarding the barring of numbers, Ojobo said over 750,000
individual numbers across the nation, made up of about 31 number
ranges had been barred.
The licensees whose numbers were barred are Vezeti
Communications Services Limited, Voix Networks Limited, Mobitel
Limited, Peace Global Satellite Communications Limited, ABG
Communications Limited and Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria)
Limited.
Others are Swift Telephone Networks Limited, QVODA Telecoms
Limited, Wireless Telecoms Limited and Emcatel Networks
Limited.
The commission found that some of these firms were terminating
millions of minutes, whereas they only had very few active
customers, Ojobo added.
The NCC spokesperson stated, “The commission is pleased to note
that the incidence of call masking has significantly reduced since
it commenced a multi-faceted approach to address the menace.
“The commission hereby informs all stakeholders that the actions
so far taken are just the first stage of the exercise. The second
stage, which has now commenced, will focus on the Mobile Network
Operators and other persons involved in SIM boxing.
“The aim of the commission is to completely stamp out the
fraudulent practice in the overall interest of all Nigerians.
Accordingly, every service provider that has been sanctioned still
has an opportunity to correct the identified anomalies and satisfy
the commission that it should be allowed to continue to operate in
Nigeria.”
He added that the NCC reserved the right to revoke the licences
of such service providers where they failed to take the necessary
corrective measures.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/call-masking-ncc-sanctions-operators-bars-750000-lines/